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Transparency International Ireland (TI Ireland) have welcomed the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing into penalty point cancellations with Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe today. TI Ireland had written to the PAC earlier this week to urge them not to withdraw their invitation to Sgt McCabe to discuss documentary evidence he had shared with the Committee.

‘Maurice McCabe’s only motivation has been to see an end to unlawful and unfair cancellation of penalty points. His sole reason for attending the hearing today was to help the Public Accounts Committee in its inquiries, not to point fingers or level baseless accusations at anyone’, said John Devitt, Chief Executive of TI Ireland

‘Sgt McCabe is a loyal member of An Garda Síochána and he and former Garda John Wilson deserve great credit for having brought this unlawful practice to public attention. We would hope that the Garda Commissioner would withdraw his unhelpful comments on the whistleblowers and his previous threat of disciplinary action against Sgt McCabe’, added Mr Devitt.

TI Ireland have called on the Minister for Justice to commission a review of Garda whistleblower procedures by the Garda Inspectorate and will be encouraging Government to empower the Garda Ombudsman with additional powers to investigate concerns brought to them by members of An Garda Síochána.